Tips for taking the Sydney Airport Train

Ride the Sydney Airport Train like a local

Taking the Sydney Airport train to the centre of the city is a good option for most visitors and one of the quickest ways to get to the CBD. Solo travellers and couples will find the airport train cheaper than a taxi, and it is a pretty straightforward trip if you are staying in the middle of town.

Since moving to Mascot a couple of years, I caught this train daily. Over time, I noticed travellers struggle with their bags and, in peak hour, the crowded carriages. I decided I would write-up a few observations to help you have the smoothest airport transfer you possibly can.

How to find the Sydney Airport Train Stations

Don’t worry too much about this on arrival in Sydney; the terminal stations are well signposted and easy enough to find. The International Station is at the northern end of the terminal on the arrivals level. The Domestic terminal is between terminal 2 and 3. Trains to the city take about 15 minutes and run about every 10-15 minutes for most of the day. You might like to check out this handy Sydney Airport guide for more detailed information.

If you are heading to the airport from the city make sure you get off at the right station, do not get off the train at the Mascot suburban station. Alighting here is a such a common mistake there are now signs on the station pointing out it is not an airport station.

Here are my three tips for making your Sydney airport train journey a success!

Choose your carriage depending on where you plan to get off.

The first two stations after the airport as the train heads into the city are extremely busy during peak hours. Between 7.30-9am hundreds of commuters pour into the train at both Mascot suburban and Green Square stations. The area is also home to lots of corporate offices, so before the commuters pour in, lots of the passengers already on the train alight here. Try not to be in the doorway while all this is going on. The exits for both stations are in the middle of the train so if you don’t need to get off here avoiding these middle carriages is a good idea. There is almost always much, more room at the front and the rear of this train.

Once the train reaches Central Station, it travels around the city via a loop known as the City Circle.

Central Station

If you are getting off the train at Central the front of the train in the best place to ride, the only lift at Central is at the city end (front) of the platform. If you have large bags, I recommend taking the elevator as commuters running late for work or changing trains rush down these stairs. Change trains at Central for country NSW trains, Kings Cross and Bondi Junction trains and Blue Mountains trains.

Museum Station

If you are getting off at Museum station, ride the back of the train to exit at Liverpool Street and the front of the train for the Bathurst Street (Hyde Park) exit. Museum Station has a lift at the Liverpool Street exit so if you have heavy luggage make sure you are at the back of the train.

St James Station

If you are getting off at St James, the exits are in the middle of the platform, and the lift is hidden in behind the stairs between the two platforms. Once you get to St James, the train empties out; this means you will likely have plenty of room if you are continuing.

Circular Quay Station

Next stop is Circular Quay– if this is your first time in Sydney get ready for a great view of the Harbour Bridge from the right-hand side of the train. There are exits here at both ends of the platform and lifts in the middle.

Wynyard Station

Wynyard Station is in the middle of a long overdue renovation but new signage is up, and it is reasonably easy to navigate. Stairs are all along the platform with the lifts around toward each end of the platform. Alight here for Barangaroo and King St Wharf.

This station is also home to the wooden escalator sculpture!

You will find this work of art near the exit to York Street Exit. It’s worth popping in for a look when you are in the area.

Town Hall Station

Town Hall is the last city station in the city circle before this train heads out west. If you don’t have heavy bags, it is worth getting off at Central and changing trains. Town Hall is just one stop away on other lines, and this could save you up to 10 mins. Town Hall is the closest stop to the Queen Victoria Building, Darling Harbour and the Hilton Hotel. It is currently undergoing some renovations and is a bit of a mess.

Move as far inside the carriage as you can.

It’s common for travellers on unfamiliar trains to stand close to the exit as they are not sure when they will have to get off. You worry about having enough time to reach the door. I understand as I have done this too and it’s okay outside of peak times but on this train by the time you reach Central, particularly in the morning, half the train will be getting off too so resist the temptation to block the entry and move inside the carriage as far as you can.

If you don’t have big suitcases, please consider heading up or downstairs. Luggage blocking the entry makes it tough for people at Mascot and Green Square to get on the train. If you need to get off and there is not a lot of room speak up, and you will find people will move for you.

You can now buy an Opal card at the ticket window at airport stations

Lots of visitors are confused about using Opal cards. For the record, you can now buy your Opal card from the International and Domestic terminal train stations however they have recently introduced a minimum $35 top up for adult cards. There is no minimum for children. If you don’t think you will use this much credit you can still buy a single ticket from the ticket machines and windows and you can also use your credit card. If you are travelling to the city and using the ferries or buses while are you here, it is likely you will use this over a few days.

There are five newsagents and convenience stores in the airport terminals that also sell the cards. They usually have a flag outside advertising this. The airport stations are privately owned, so the cost of a trip to the city has a $14.30 gate access fee added to the standard fare. If you are planning return travel to the airport, it is worth getting an opal here. Check the exact fare on this Sydney Airport Train fare calculator.

When should you avoid the Sydney Airport Train?

The roads around Sydney airport are currently undergoing substantial work. Traffic is gridlocked most mornings with weekends seeming to see the worst of it. While the train might seem like a hassle to some of you, especially if you are not regular public transport users it is in my opinion less of a hassle then being stuck in slow-moving traffic watching the meter on your taxi tick away or wondering if you will make your check in on time.

Unless you are staying at a hotel that is not walking distance to one of the train stations above I would prefer to take the train. The only time I would not recommend this is when you are travelling with small children or anyone with mobility problems or when you have more bags than you can comfortably manage.

What time are the first and last trains to the airport?

The first train to the airport leaves the city at 4:20 am on weekdays and 4:40 am on weekends. They leave the airport heading to the city at a similar time.

The last train to the airport leaves the city at 12:55 am and leaves from the airport at 12:27 am.

Links

Airport link has some videos showing you how to catch the train on their website

Trackwork notices – Trackwork seems to happen about every eight weeks. Buses replace trains but it will take quite a bit longer, and they are usually really crowded. I would recommend taxis in this instance.

Have any questions or advice about taking the airport train? Join our Sydney Expert Facebook Group where you can ask questions, stay up to date with what’s happening in Sydney and meet a bunch of friendly locals just waiting to share their advice!

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At the Domestic terminal there are 5 retailers so it should not be too hard to get your hands on one. WH Smith, Newslink, Relay and the Trader convienence store in T2 all have them. There is no one selling them at Terminal 3.

Thanks for these useful tips. I’m sure the train is much cheaper than a taxi and most likely much faster too. The only inconvenience I see is that you have to carry your own luggage around and up and down the train. But for the luggage, I’d prefer trains over cabs at any time.

Great tips, especially for first timers. It can be quite confusing, especially if you have heavy luggage too which only compounds things 🙂 It would be great if we had a system like they do in HK where you could check your bags right through!

Hi, is there a way to take the train to the airport with a traveller and help them with their luggage without incurring the station access fee? Also are there trolleys immediately available at the airport stations? Thanks

You can take the train and help them to reach the station and get off at the airport platform. Technically you only have to pay if you exit the barriers at the station. There are escalators and lifts at the platform and often trolleys about at the top of the station exit if you think they could manage from the platform they would only have to navigate a couple of lifts/escalators alone.

hiya, first time to Australia, will be leaving London ,arriving via DOH on august 5th at 17:35, booked hotel in Sydney the megaboom hotel,York street, and know we have to travel to st James station, we have three days there before traveling to Woolongong to meet my brother who lives there, how much do you think we should put on an opal card for the journey of the three days Sydney the onward to Woolongong,we hope to use the ferries while in Sydney, i know one is cheap and one is expensive, also, what do you recommend for phone sims, i use virgin in UK, but my roaming charges are extortionate, should i get a sim at airport to use for visit, will be there for 3 weeks, sorry for long post , but i am a very nervous traveler , thanks in advance for any tips and ideas, great blog by the way

First the easy part, the sim card. Yes, you can pick one up at the airport or just wait till you hit the city where you will probably have more choice. If you go to Woolworth’s at Town Hall up to the 2nd floor they offer a great range of providers. The deals change all the time but you usually pay for a month and get anywhere from 5GB to 30GB. None of them is terrible so you are pretty safe. Most people in our group recommend Telstra or Vodafone. Personally, I have Optus and it’s OK too.

Now the Opal card question is a little harder. It depends on the days of the week you travel – for example, Sundays is only $2.60 all day. And the time of day – after 9am and before 3pm is cheaper than peak hour. I would start with $40 and top up if/as required. Topping up is really easy and you can’t get refunds so it’s safer too
Also if register your card and you lose it you don’t lose your money. You just transfer the balance to a new card.

Hi Thanks for the advice. I am travelling from interstate on my own. Are the stairs at Museum station difficult with luggage? How easy is it to change trains at Central Station to get the train to Town Hall?

There are quite a lot of stairs at Museum and the station is currently undergoing renovation so it’s certainly not ideal. At Central there is a lift at the city end of the platform and you would only walk a few metres to a lift to the next platform.

Hi Barry
I have updated the article this morning. The information is still accurate, I was at the airport last week and you can buy tickets at the airport stations. This is the easiest option for most.

We are meeting a family memeber ever at the airport for their international stop over; we will be staying with them a few hours will we have to pay two access fees? We are getting to airport around 930 will stay till 1pm

Hi Vanessa Unfortunately you will have to pay two station access fees. Where are you coming from? Can you take the train to Mascot suburban station and then jump on the 400 bus. This is also an option from Rockdale station.

We are travelling from Syd Domestic Airport to Circular Quay (cruise), then back again 8 days later. Would you suggest to just purchase an Opal single trip ticket each way? If so, are these available at the same place as the Opal cards? Thank you.

Yes in this case – if you are not planning to do anything else it will be cheaper to just get the two tickets. Having an Opal card will not save you much if anything. You would also need to put more than $30 on it ($32.50) so you would need to put $40 and there is no refund. You can buy single tickets at the airport stations.

Hi Nev, If you can manage your luggage I would suggest the airport train to Central and then a T1 North Shore, Northern & Western Line towards Emu Plains via Parramatta. Its about 35 mins if you get a limited stops train – a lot longer if you jump on an all stations.

All the stations from Central to the airport have their exits in the middle of the platform, this means that lots of locals getting off at the first two stops choose the middle carriages. As a result, they can get overcrowded in peak hour so I would possibly head to the back or front if you want a bit of space on the train. If it’s not busy then sit in the middle of the train and you will alight right by the escalators and lift.

Hi Susie
It would be cheaper with 4 travellers to grab a taxi or Uber. The train will cost a similar amount to the transfers you have been quoted. Sorry for the later reply. I am travelling in Cambodia this week. Any future questions will be best posted on the Facebook group as I can monitor this easily on the road.

Hi. This is the 1st time I’m searching travel info on the net. Going fr Singapore to Sydney and then to Melbourne and back to Singapore. Found Sydney Expert very informative. Perhaps you can include the date of last update (at end of Article) so readers can know if info is quite safe to follow. Thanks.

Hi Vincent, you are correct, you can not refund without a local bank account. Also thanks for your advice to include a date, I used to have one, but it seems to have disappeared. The last update was August 30 this year. As far as I know, there have been no changes since then.

Love your helpful information! In early January of 2019 we’re traveling on Virgin Australia from Hobart and arriving in Sydney at 12:00 PM. We’re hoping that we can transfer to the International terminal, go through security (no checked bags), and make it to a Qantas flight at 2:40 PM to Dallas. Is that reasonable? Thanks so much.

Hi Richard That should be plenty of time. You can take a bus or the train. The train takes about 5 mins and will cost about $6.20 ( a little more without an Opal card). The bus is $6 and takes minimum 10 mins but could be longer in bad traffic.

My wife and I have pensioner opal cards with a max. Amount of$10.00 on each. Once we exceed this amount it is then deducted from our bank account. We are wanting to go to the international airport and realise that the cost will exceed the $10.00 But can we still use our opal cards for the cost of the $18.50 with our card going into minus and then the government taking out the amount owing that night to get it back to the $10.00 credit?

Hi Norm
If you have the card set to auto top ups then as soon as you tap on it should trigger a top up. I would imagine it would top up $10 straight away and then possibly $10 as soon as you use it again but I am not 100% sure as I have never tried it with such a low top up. Mine is set to auto top up $40 and as soon as it gets below $15 it tops up. I think it will be fine but don’t worry too much you can top up at the airport station if need be so perhaps just wait until you get there.

To buy an opal card from the international airport station ticket window, do they close at a certain time in the evening? My friend’s flight gets in at 7.30pm and she may not get down to the station until well after 8pm?

Hi Super helpful Sydney Expert,
I’m arriving at the domestic terminal at 9, heading to an appointment near town hall at 11-12 and then leaving on a flight at 2 (domestic). What ticket/tickets/opal card purchase do I need, and if transferring at Central to another train for Town Hall, is there any specific train, or will there be many?

Hi Peter You can buy your train tickets at the airport station. There is probably not much benefit in buying an opal card for a one day visit. Two airport single tickets will be almost, if not, the same price. Take the train from the airport to Central and change to a Town Hall train only 1 station away. This will save you about 10 mins going around the city circle stations. Alternatively, you can stay on the train and it will get to Town Hall 5 stops after central with the added bonus of viewing the Harbour Bridge from the train as you pass through Circular Quay. Heading back is the same. You can take the train from Town Hall however if you take the train from Museum or St James it will be a little quicker. It really depends where your meeting is. Any CBD station other than Martin Place will take you directly to the airport.

Hi,
Thanks for your great info. I’m staying at the Mercantile Hotel and will be trying to get to the airport for a 10 am flight (jetstar). Although I’ll be travelling with 2 14 year olds I expect at peak hour it’s better to get the train. How early should I be thinking of leaving? Should I consider going very early and trying to dodge the peak hour? Any advice will be appreciated.

Hi Sandy
You will be travelling in the opposite direction to the peak hour traffic so the train should not be very busy. It is recommended you get to the airport 2 hours before your flight for domestic travel so I would aim to be on the train around 7 am (7.30 at the latest) It’s about a 25 min trip from Circular Quay

This is a great site for finding answers! My question is, do trains on the city loop go clockwise and anticlockwise around the loop? As I want to travel from Museum to Circular Quay and sometimes from Town Hall to Museum.
Thanks for your hard work answering queries.

Hi Isabella
I am not sure if the shops will have the same minimum but I would be surprised if they do. I have not been to the airport personally since the change and I have read conflicting reponses from others. If you are planning on taking the train to the city and perhaps a ferry or two you will likely use the credit up.

Hi Joy Its just a couple of minutes to walk over to platform 23 where airport trains depart. It’s very well signposted so if you allow yourself 5 minutes you will be fine. 10 if you have lots of luggage and want to use elevators

We are travelling to Sydney T3 then taking train to Central, then to city link train. Husband has mobility problems, is there help available after collecting luggage to get to the train? If tackling on our own is it difficult, getting on the train are cases easy to put on train…….4 wheel cases. Many thanks Laura

The walk to the station is flat and has a lift or escalators, however, there is no assistance offered. Getting on the train with your cases can be a struggle in peak hour if the train is really full – I am not sure how bad your husband’s mobility issues are but perhaps consider an alternative if you are concerned.

Hi Paula / Sydney expert. I am a Sydney train guard and will like to elaborate on your last question. Your Airport CSA will help you with mobility issues. All stations on the network have ramps and some trains also carry them. Your CSA will help you board the train (if you need assistance or in a wheelchair). The guard of the train or the CSA of the destination station will help you get off. All are coordinated through Sydney trains as we deal with hundreds of mobility impaired customers on a daily basis. Ask the CSA and they will help you.

Thanks for posting these tips. My wife and I will be visiting Sidney for the first time and we are taking the train from the airport to Circular Quay. The next day we are planning to rent a car to go North and come back in the afternoon to go straight to the airport and was wondering about the traffic in Sydney since we will be a bit tight with the time ( we are leaving Sydney at 7:00pm). We are thinking to rent a car near Circular Quay and then take the train to the airport. Is it better to rent the car at the airport and take M1 out of the city at 8:00am on a weekday or is it better to rent a car near Circular Quay and deal a little bit with City Traffic at 8:00am?
Thanks for your help

How far north are you driving? If you really do need a car then I would just rent it at the airport and take the M1 out of the city. There is a lot of roadwork in Circiular Quay but it’s not really that bad to drive from there. Does your accommodation have parking included? If so it is probably better to avoid the airport train fees.

I will be visiting this year and am going into city and maybe to featherdale then back to city and back to airport. Should I get the card? Or can you tell me how much the train is into CBD as just a single ride?

Hi! For two adults and two children, is it worth getting an Opal card for one day in Sydney? They arrive at International airport early morning, and leave that same night. Want to go by train then ferry to Manly and back. Could two people use the same Opal card?

With an Opal card, these trips will cost you $43.80 for adults ($17.80 each way for the train and 7.51 each way for the ferry.) So you would get an Opal card at the airport and put $35 on it and then top it up later with another $10. You can not do $45 on an initial purchase.

If you prefer not to get an Opal card you can tap on and off with your credit card provided you have a chip card or buy single paper tickets. Without an Opal card, you will spend $18.70 each way on the train and $9.20 each way on the ferry a total of $52.80

These costs are for Adults. Kids are approx 50% less. If you travel on a Sunday there is a daily opal cap of $2.70 so you only would pay $2.70 plus the return gate fee. You need an Opal card to access this special price. The card itself is free to really it just depends if you think the saving is enough for you to warrant it.

hi there
Arriving in Sydney Sept 1st 4 adults, being picked up at airport & staying in Balmain for a week (Sun-Friday) would it be cost affective to buy an opal card each if we plan too go to zoo, or circular quay different days & back to domestic terminal.or do we share a cab or Uber ? How long does an opal card last. what’s the age discount when buying an opal card?
thanks Bill

Have you read our Opal post? You will find most of the answers there. Opal cards last 9 years. Seniors cards are only for Australian residents. They save you about 30% on fares. You can also just use your credit card if you find that easier. You need one opal card per person. https://sydneyexpert.com/opal-cards-visitors-sydney/
It will be cheaper to share an OLA than an Uber as they have a deal of $25 flat rate to the airport at the moment. Sign up using this code AG2HR2U and you will get a $20 discount and access to other discounts as a member.

Hello
My daughter is graduating at a ceremony at Rosehill Gardens in August 2019. I am travelling to Australia, to Sydney and am staying for 5 days so we can catch up. Is it best to stay in Sydney Central and catch the train to Rosehill Gardens, or stay there one night and the rest in Sydney CBD?
Thanks
Ro

Hi Rona, sorry for the delay responding, I have been travelling myself. I would stay at a hotel in Parramatta and take a cab to Rosehill for the event and the rest of the nights in the city. But perhaps it also depends where you daughter is living? Is she is the west? The commute between Paramatta and the city is about 30-40 minutes.

After taking my Australian grandchildren for a holiday, my husband and I are taking our grandchildren back to the airport to put them on a plane home to Hobart. Because there will be 4 of us, would it be cheaper to get a taxi from the CBD to the domestic terminal, or to catch the train. The children are 8 and 11.
Thanks
Ro

If your luggage is easy to manage then get the train to Mascot suburban station and then take a taxi or ride share. This will save you quite a lot. There is also a 400 bus from here that will keep costs low. The bus train combo is about $8 for an adult.